Don Finley: Really old doctors

I awoke this morning to an in-basketful of peevish e-mails from readers, taking the newspaper to task for an unfortunate headline on the print version of my story about how patients seen by a geriatrics specialist were less likely to be prescribed inappropriate drugs.

The headline suggested, wrongly, that older doctors were less likely to prescribe inappropriate drugs.

I have a lot of sympathy for headline writers. As I told one reader who complained, “they are miserable creatures who work late at night in a dark, dank room filled with cigarette smoke and suffering. It’s hard to hate them.” Only a slight exaggeration, I promise.

But it made me wonder: Do older doctors provide better care? I certainly feel more comfortable with Marcus Welby than Doogie Howser. Then again, I’m closer in age to Dr. Welby.

But a little checking finds evidence that the reverse might be true. What do you think?